Lucknow, Apr 14 (IANS): In a surprise move, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati appointed her younger brother Anand Kumar as the party's national Vice President.

She has always been opposed to dynastic politics and had publicly announced that no member of her family would ever be an office-bearer in her party.

However, the reasons for her taking this decision on Friday are only best known to her.

Although, she did clarify that Anand Kumar will never hold a public office nor will he fight elections. Anand Kumar has been in many controversies regarding his sky-rocketing assets and is also being probed by the Enforcement Directorate.

The move has taken many by surprise as in the past, too, she has maintained a distance from her family in public matters.

Sources, however, say that with tax authorities closing in on her brother, Mayawati could have named Anand Kumar as the party Vice President with an objective to cushion him with political muscle.

Anand Kumar is infamous for being a parallel power centre during Mayawati's successive regimes in Uttar Pradesh.